A Community of Thieves

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Interested in the Life of a Thief in a Community of Thieves?
Image by Aaron

Interview with Guild Leader Shinobi Shinobison
and Guild Emissary Aaron,
two players fiercely devoted to the study and promotion of their profession.[NOTE: Shinobi's authoritative books on thieving cover the history and traditions of UO thieving, current techniques and useful macros. Shinobi's books are available at the Book Store on Atlantic.]

DeadBob: When did you start playing Ultima?

Shinobi: I first started out probably in about 2001 or so, but all I made was a crappy mage. I decided the game was too big and too complex for my tastes, so I quit. I came back around AoS and made Shinobi. Meaning, I wasn't around for the "golden days" of thieves, the days with no insurance, the ability to steal houses, etc. Even though I feel like I missed out on a lot, I think that if I played back then, then I might have quit with the majority of the thieves when the nerf came. Plus, I kinda knew I was gonna be pretty successful because Shinobi was born with a mini castle deed, which I sold for 2.5mil back then.

Aaron: I began my life in Ultima back in the start of Renaissance, November 2000. I began playing on Chesapeake as an Archer than later became a Knight (Swordsman). I was well introduced to the life of felucca, but I was more interested in fighting the evils that I seemed to have met. 5 Years later, I then began to play on Player Run Servers, ones which emulated the Pub-16 Era with Siege rules (Acropolis: The Dark Shard), and That’s where I began my thief Career, I became the guild master of “The Society of Thieves” Later Renamed to “The Society of Rogues” To allow all sorts of shady characters. I went back to OSI and switched my primary server to Atlantic where “Aaron the Assassin‘s" legacy began.

DeadBob: What did you like about Ultima, at first?

Shinobi: I liked the fact that my first real char was a thief, meaning...I still had no clue what was valuable and what was crap. The time when I was just starting out as a thief is what I call the Bucc's Days, back when PvP happened primarily in Fel Bucc's Den. I soon befriended the reds in Bucc's and gained access to their main PvP house. I still remember running into the house freaking out multiple times a day: "OMG GUYS LOOK... i just stole a 20% dam inc double axe... hell yeah." Every steal was a great steal back then. However, soon I learned what was good and what wasn't, so I basically had to throw out everything inside of my bank.

Aaron: The game was very free flowing, I could do what I want and it didn’t give me a goal. It wasn’t like Super Mario Bros. where I had to go through each level and defeat Bowser to save the princess. I got to be a Knight in Shining Armor (Iron Heavy Ranger) and I would use my sword to protect the innocent. That dream was crushed, and I just became a Swordsman who fought monsters and couldn’t really fight players. Another thing I liked is that I wasn’t limited to how I could play. My Knight originally started as an Archer/tamer, became a swordsman, then a Paladin, then a Paladin Archer, then a Swordsman, then a Samurai. I like how I always have the ability to change, no matter what.

DeadBob: Why are you still here?

Shinobi: That's pretty rude... why are you so ugly? [Editor's note: np, y'r not my type anyway ;p] Nah for real though, my main char since I started has been my thief. The only other char I've managed to actually finish is my dexer, A Piece Of Mind. Lots of people ask me "Dude, how can you just sit around all day stealing stuff for over 6 years?" It's because I still get a rush out of it. The more valuable the item I'm about to steal, the more of a rush I get. Still to this day, whenever I'm about to steal an item worth a lot I start to shiver/shake violently... you'd think I was trying to disarm a bomb irl or something. Come to think of it, it almost sounds like a sickness.

Don't get me wrong though, I'm not one of those people who's life revolves around this game. Even though I get that big of a rush, it doesn't mean I'm insanely addicted to it. I actually have quit multiple times for like 3-8 months at a time, out of no where. I'll be on one day, then the next time you see me is months later. I don't want that to happen anymore though because my guild is the largest it's ever been, and I can't abandon it and risk all that work going down the drain.

Aaron: I have been disloyal to UO, I have tried Maple Story, I have tried WoW, I have tried guild wars, and I did play this other MMORPG, I forget the name of it, but all three of them was the same, Do Quests, Become Strong, Go to the Big Boy lands, Buy god-gear. Right now, I hang out in new haven, I wear Exceptional Quality Armor, and I am GM only in hiding, and snooping, everything else is below 100, and I still feel like I’m a strong character (In my profession.)

And like Shinobi said, It’s the rush. I can give you an example from Acrop, I was a well known thief at this point, the name Locke was legendary. I had a large connection of allies, both PvMers and Mass Murderers. I was able to pool over 3 million gold (Very large sum of money back there) I had the ability to Coerce a group of Turkish people to sell me their castle deed, but their terms dictated we do it at West Brit Bank, They mustered about 6 guys to watch the transaction, I was to be alone. It took a month of planning to pull this heist, and I was shaking in real life, We began the trade, and I pulled the heist on them, I yank the deed and bolt to the east. 2 Warriors Chase me, the Mages prepared spells but that left them in the dust, the warriors I had to dance with them until I was able to successfully escape, If anyone from that shard remembers me, they know that was a Textbook heist.

DeadBob: Tell us about your guild.

Shinobi: My guild is cRaZyPoO [P0O]. I made it years ago after being betrayed by FVO (an old thief guild which soon after formed into S|S). I gave my guild such a stupid name because I wanted the members to always have a sense of humor. I've seen thieves go from cool and laid back, to having huge egos and acting as if they're better than everyone else. There's nothing wrong with bragging about your skills, but whenever you start acting like an ass, then it just gets annoying.

My guild is the largest thief guild in UO, with over 60 active members, and over 90 overall members. Apparently we reside on Atlantic, but I like to think that one day we'll move onto other shards as well. We take in all player thieves (not doom-only thieves) that either want to join us, or are found training and need our help. Our guild house, Thieves' Fortress, has a training room that guides a thief through his/her training, and provides all that they will need to train. In my opinion, 99% of the player thieves on Atlantic are in our guild. I say this because I rareeeeeeely see a thief wandering around not in our guild, and when I do, I usually end up guilding them. [Editor's note: this is not "gelding," a radically different service.]

We are constantly coming up with new ways to help us steal. An emissary in the guild, Aaron, has even developed a way to steal while remaining hidden. I'd love to tell you guys how, but it's a secret meant only for the emissaries in the guild. Also, I have a bracelet of binding which I wear 24/7. Each thief in the guild eventually gets their own bracelet, bound to mine. An entire guild of thieves, bound to one bracelet. Imagine the scenario, where I happen to stumble across someone with multiple items uninsured in their pack. I then alert the guild to bind to me, and suddenly a guild of thieves appears out of no where, and surrounds the poor guy. We then proceed to rob him blind, then vanish.

Lots of people don't approve of our methods of stealing, since some of them are actually quite cruel. I developed a class which I like to call the Persuasion Thief, for obvious reasons (however, not all of the thieves in our guild are Persuasion Thieves). Some people consider the types of things we do scams, but if we use the Stealing skill to retrieve the item, then no matter how you put it, it is a steal. Even some old thieves don't approve of our ways. Where are they though? They all either quit UO, don't play their thief anymore, or have all shipped off to the "island" that was created to hold thieves... known as Siege. In my opinion, Siege was created to lure thieves there so that GMs are no longer bugged about items being stolen. They cannot delete the thief class, because it would be unfair to us... so instead, they placed a carrot (no insurance) underneath a box (Siege) propped up with a stick, with a string tied to it. And lots of thieves are dumb enough to fall into the lame trap they've created. We do the things we do, because it is how we've adapted to insurance.

Aaron: CRaZyPo0 is a thieves guild. We house all these different bandits, No Good, Misfortunate, and Low Lives. It is run by Shinobi, with me as his right hand. We are a guild that trains thieves, plans world domination then immediately drink at the Tiki Top Bar, and wonder what we did last night. We do heists on guilds, champs, and just do random bad (or hilarious) things.

We train thieves, we think up new ways to pull heists, we devise new heists, we pull heists, and I personally try to work on Public Relations, that’s fancy talk for me to talk to pretty girls. In a simple way, we just make and improve thieves. We don’t have a team of players just trying to figure things out using all different sorts of experiments, but we just stumble upon things, we fall into our discoveries like holes in the ground. One thing a thief has to have as a trait, is they need to be creative, that’s a primary trait.

DeadBob: What would you like to do in Ultima in the near future?

Shinobi: What I would like to happen in the future is actually underway as we speak. Not only is my guild growing at an alarming rate, but i have decided to ally the other 3 main thief guilds in UO. Chad Sexington's guild THIEF has an Atlantic division which is allied to us, I have been speaking with members of the Pacific guild GOR about starting up on Atlantic and allying to us, and I have even recently allied to my guild's old rival S|S. With the 4 of our guilds allied together, Atlantic honestly won't stand a chance.

Aaron: Play Stygian Abyss, Complain about how Gargoyles are over powered, make little girls cry, Pinch the bums of the ladies, take candy from babies, and become the new Lord British but be called Lord Aaron the Awesome of Awesomeness, make Mr. Tinkles (My Slime) 4x GM, and maybe, just maybe, Find a girl who loves me for my damn good looks, and not for my personality, Girls Love Bad Boys. *Frown*

NOTE: Shinobi's authoritative books on thieving cover the history and traditions of UO thieving, current techniques and useful macros. Shinobi's books are available at the Book Store on Atlantic.

It must suck to be stuck stealing off the floor of Doom. So different from the days where you'd steal a vanq xbow near the bank and bank it immediately, or work in teams where a friend would loot your ill-gotten gains after you get guardwhacked.

Stratics Veteran

It must suck to be stuck stealing off the floor of Doom. So different from the days where you'd steal a vanq xbow near the bank and bank it immediately, or work in teams where a friend would loot your ill-gotten gains after you get guardwhacked.

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You couldn't bank immediately after stealing an item. It had some kind of timer or something before it could be traded or banked. And after getting guard wacked the item you stole always went back to whom ever you stole it from. Nice try though.

Stratics Veteran

Oh hi, apparently you haven't been playing since release. And don't try to say you have, anyone who has knows you are wrong.

I mean, I don't think longevity is the measure of the player. But you could at least consider that things haven't always been the way you know them to be.

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Of course I have, and as a thief. That's how I know there was a timer on the items you stole before banking or trading and that after being guard wacked items were returned to who it was stolen from. Of course, the items being returned still goes on today. I also know you use to be able to steal without having to empty your hands, but that was indeed a long time ago. Now, maybe it wasn't like like at the very beginning, but it has been for the great majority of the time since just around UO:T2A. It's kind of pointless to bash the way skills were just after the release of this game. Nice try again, though.

Of course I have, and as a thief. That's how I know there was a timer on the items you stole before banking or trading and that after being guard wacked items were returned to who it was stolen from. Of course, the items being returned still goes on today.

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Neither of those restrictions were in place for UO launch. They were taken full advantage of by thieves (I'd know, heh) and the restrictions you mention were eventually put in place. Did you think nothing changed between UO and UO:T2A?

As you said, nice try. Perhaps consider that people don't always speak from your own frame of reference, and give their statements consideration instead of immediately assuming you need to fix them.

Stratics Veteran

Of course I have, and as a thief. That's how I know there was a timer on the items you stole before banking or trading and that after being guard wacked items were returned to who it was stolen from. Of course, the items being returned still goes on today.

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Neither of those restrictions were in place for UO launch. They were taken full advantage of by thieves (I'd know, heh) and the restrictions you mention were eveutally put in place. Did you think nothing changed between UO and UO:T2A?

As you said, nice try. Perhaps consider that people don't always speak from your own frame of reference, and give their statements consideration instead of immediately assuming you need to fix them.

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Well yeah. But here, let me quote the rest of my post for more sense:

Now, maybe it wasn't like like at the very beginning, but it has been for the great majority of the time since just around UO:T2A. It's kind of pointless to bash the way skills were just after the release of this game.

Stratics VeteranStratics Legend

It must suck to be stuck stealing off the floor of Doom. So different from the days where you'd steal a vanq xbow near the bank and bank it immediately, or work in teams where a friend would loot your ill-gotten gains after you get guardwhacked.

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Ok sorry but i'm pretty sure we aren't doom thieves. Sure, some of the thieves in our guild might do doom here and there, but every single guildmember is in the thief NPC guild, or working to get in it. And we don't guild thieves who are strictly doom. Also, to end you and your friend's argument, you CAN steal an item and immediately bank it. You just have to have stolen it unnoticed. If you are noticed, and turn criminal (grey), then you can't bank the item and you have to wait until you aren't criminal anymore. However, if you stay blue, then you can immediately throw it in the bank.

And trust me, there's plenty to steal these days. Siege is not a place for a thief, it's a place for the old thieves who gave up to go, as i said in the interview. I steal better things than most siege thieves, and i'm on a production shard. I don't see why siege thieves complain so much about production shard thieves trying to keep the class alive.

Stratics Veteran

Some Siege thieves lost faith in real thieving. They left production shards for siege which has easy theft with no insurance. We on the otherhand, play on a land with a system that seems to try to counter thieves, and yet we still prove victorious. We face greater challenges, and reap greater rewards.

The only reason one may not be able to bank after stealing is if you are grey. If you are grey for any reason you can't open yer bank and use it, otherwise if you steal and are not grey(ie. didn't get noticed) you may open yer bank and bank an item. Trust me on this one...*wink*
And yes, real thieves play Siege.

Shinobi, I didn't mean to put down your guild in any way. Just nostalgic about the old days of thievery. After AoS, the pickings were so slim I had to find other ways to amuse myself. I understand I ended up sounding antagonistic, I just don't like being corrected by people who have facts incorrect.

How is the Siege environment nowadays? Last I played there it was a little slow.

Stratics Veteran

Shinobi, I didn't mean to put down your guild in any way. Just nostalgic about the old days of thievery. After AoS, the pickings were so slim I had to find other ways to amuse myself. I understand I ended up sounding antagonistic, I just don't like being corrected by people who have facts incorrect.

How is the Siege environment nowadays? Last I played there it was a little slow.

Shinobi, I didn't mean to put down your guild in any way. Just nostalgic about the old days of thievery. After AoS, the pickings were so slim I had to find other ways to amuse myself. I understand I ended up sounding antagonistic, I just don't like being corrected by people who have facts incorrect.

How is the Siege environment nowadays? Last I played there it was a little slow.

I consider playing again every once and awhile. Wouldn't be too much of a step to start new on Siege, my Cats keep and Atl houses must be long gone by now. The 2D client still available?

@Shinobi
Naw, respect for sticking with thievery through all the changes. I had a couple guilds fall apart and I lost interest. I know how hard it is to build, so props and all that. Did Stratics go back on the policy of banning for the use of "crate"? lol, fun times.

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